How is an Adult Legal Name Change Handled in Santa Clara County?
An adult name change is a legal request by a person over the age of 18 to legally change their name. With an adult name change a person may choose to only change a portion of the name whether first, middle, or last, or they may choose to change multiple portions of their name or even their entire name.
There are numerous reasons why someone may request an adult name change. An adult name change may be requested to clarify one’s name due to misspellings or other errors which may cause issues with their legal documents. With the government’s requirement for the Real ID’s for travel, we are seeing more and more requests for adult name changes in order to meet the requirements for these ID’s. As the Department of Motor Vehicles requires that the name on the documentation required to obtain a Real ID be identical to one another and also to what Social Security has on record, it has become even more imperative for individuals to correct issues with their name and have a greater consistency on various legal documents.
In addition to correcting issues with one’s name, some individuals may request a legal name change to completely change their name simply because they do not like the name given to them at birth, they wish to carry the last name of a parent that raised them but was not their biological parent, they wish to have the same surname as a partner, they wish to change their name for religious reasons, they have changed their gender, or in some cases even to make a political statement.
Whatever the reason, requesting an adult name change is a legal process that has several steps involved. As such, it is important to seek the help of a professional who is familiar with the court’s requirements, procedures, and timelines to ensure that everything is handled correctly and avoid wasting unnecessary time and money.
Real ID: Now with the government’s requirement for the Real ID needed for travel, we are seeing more and more requests for adult name changes in order to meet the requirements for these Real ID’s. The new deadline for a Real ID is May 3, 2023. You may be one of many that is having to do a legal name change in order to qualify for your Real ID. If so, you should not delay on this as it can take several months to go through this process with the court.
Errors or Misspellings with your Name: In many cases, individuals need to correct or clarify their name due to misspellings or having multiple legal names which may cause issues with their legal documents.
Changing your Name for Personal Reasons: There are also individuals who, for various reasons, do decide to completely change their name for their own personal reasons.
Name change after divorce: Many times, after going through a divorce a spouse will want to restore back to their former name that they had prior to entering into that marriage. Documentation can be filed in the court in which you received your divorce decree requesting that this be done.
Name change after domestic violence or incarceration: Sometimes people may want to change their names after domestic violence charges or after being incarcerated, however, this does not mean that the court will agree to do this as it is solely up to the judge to agree to any legal name changes requested and they do run a CLETS background check on any person requesting a legal name change.
Name changes for non-native: Many people that are non-natives request to legally change their name as they prefer to adopt a name that they are more comfortable using here in the US.
